Author: Michelle

A to Z Blogging Challenge: F is for Foreshadowing

A to Z Blogging Challenge: F is for Foreshadowing

Posted by | Apr 11, 2018 | ,

F is for Foreshadowing This is a plot device that sees an author planting clues in earlier scenes of a story for a payoff at a later stage. If it is done well, the reader won’t see it coming, but upon reaching the payoff, will realise that the clues were there all along. Depending on what is being foreshadowed, it can be weaved through narration, hinted at through dialogue, or shown through description. It can be subtle or ‘in your face’ although the reader may not realise the relevance in earlier chapters. Foreshadowing can build suspense and adds dimension to...

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GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

Posted by | Apr 9, 2018 | |

I presume I have been living under a rock for the last two years, or maybe I was just busy with everything else I do, but about a week or so ago, I heard about the new data protection regulation coming into effect on 25th May (cue a moment of full-blown panic as I’ve done nothing for it). I’ve taken some time to read up on it, and am going to write my findings here, more as a checklist for me to work through, though it may help other editors in my position. The GDPR relates to data collected and held within the EU but I’ll be tweaking a few things for all clients as it’s easier that way. Step one is to do an assessment of what data I hold. Newsletter subscriptions Manuscripts that I have edited or am yet to edit. Email addresses – via email accounts and WordPress (if anyone signed up to follow the blog via email). Client Paypal addresses. Data stored in my accounting software for the purposes of reporting my earnings to HMRC. In addition to this, WordPress (and by default, this website) collects data via: user registrations comments contact form entries analytics and traffic log solutions any other logging tools and plugins security tools and plugins From what I have read about the GDPR, it gives EU citizens more control over their personal details...

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A to Z Blogging challenge: E is for Exposition

A to Z Blogging challenge: E is for Exposition

Posted by | Apr 9, 2018 | ,

E is for Exposition Exposition is the insertion of background information that is crucial to the reader’s understanding of a story, be it a backstory (prior events), setting, or description. As with description, my recommendation would be to filter exposition through the story where you can, although there will be moments where you will need to just ‘tell’. Prologues often fall under the exposition ‘umbrella’. I’ve lost count of how many prologues I’ve read that is nothing more than an infodump – a long and wordy exposition explaining why a character acts the way they do, or the history...

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A to Z Blogging challenge: D is for Describing through action and inner voice.

A to Z Blogging challenge: D is for Describing through action and inner voice.

Posted by | Apr 8, 2018 | ,

D is for Describing through Action and (Inner) Voice I’ve read many a book that will grind to a sudden halt as the author stops to describe a character, setting or item. When this happens, I always imagine the characters standing to the side, waiting, or sneaking off for a quick tea break while the author rambles on. It might seem like a good idea to describe each character in their entirety or provide a detailed description of a building or sword, but stopping the flow of the story to do so is jarring. The other problem is that too much...

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A to Z Blogging challenge: C is for Crafting your Story

A to Z Blogging challenge: C is for Crafting your Story

Posted by | Apr 7, 2018 | ,

C is for Crafting your Story (dramatic arc) I briefly touched on the basics of storytelling yesterday and today’s post with expand on that and provide some links I hope you’ll find useful. Each story you write will follow a structure similar to the image pictured below:     This is Freytag’s pyramid, (named after German novelist, Gustav Freytag), and is modified from the structure Aristotle discussed in Poetics. Aristotle decribed the dramatic structure (arc) of a story as being a triangle, but Freytag added two further levels of analysis – rising and falling action – and the triangle became...

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